2006 Volkswagen Passat

ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN CONTINUES TO PRODUCE WARNING LIGHTS AFTER BEING SENT IN FOR SERVICE. WARNING MESSAGE THAT ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK IS DEFECTIVE CONTINUES COMING ON. ERROR MESSAGE CAUSES THE CAR TO NOT START, SOMETIMES TAKING 2-10 RESTARTS TO GET THE CAR RUNNING. POWER ASSISTANCE AND ELECTRONIC STEERING CAN FAIL (ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL) IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED. COULD CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY TO SELF AND OTHERS OR DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE IF THIS IS NOT FIXED. HAVE RESEARCHED PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALERSHIPS SEEM TO HAVE DIFFICULTY DIAGNOSING AND REPAIRS ARE VERY COSTLY. ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1,500-2,600. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS YEAR AND MAKE, AND MAY CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IF NOT FIXED. *TR

THE CAR SUDDENLY WOULDN'T START. THERE WAS NO FOREWARNING. "STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE" WARNING APPEARED ON THE IN-DASH CONSOLE. THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I REMOVED THE KEY AND TRIED AFTER A FEW MINUTES, AND THE CAR STARTED OKAY. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES IN THE STRETCH OF ONE WEEK OR SO. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. *TR

CAR WILL NOT START, DASHBOARD WARNING "STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILURE" I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AS THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH B6 PASSAT OWNERS. THE PROBLEM IS MOST LIKELY FAULTY CONTACTS YET THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN IS REPLACED BY VOLKSWAGEN AND COULD COST UP TO $2000.. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 VW PASSAT, AMONG MANY ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL AND YEAR, THE MOST RECENT AND MY SERIOUS CONCERN FOR SAFETY IS THE ""STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEFECTIVE" THE CAR SOMETIMES WILL NOT START AT ALL OR WILL START AND IMMEDIATELY DIE. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND WAS SHOCKED BY THE NUMBER OF VW CUSTOMERS THAT HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET! THE COST TO FIX THIS IS IN THE UPWARDS OF $1500. ONE THE CAR IS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD AND TWO THERE SEEMS TO BE A PATTERN HERE THAT THIS IS A VW DEFECTIVE ISSUE! THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN, I AM PREGNANT AND CAN'T EVEN GET HOME AFTER DRIVING TO WORK OR THE STORE! I FEEL VW HAS AN ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THIS RECURRING PROBLEM! I HOPE YOU CAN PURSUE THIS. *TR

WHEN I ATTEMPT TO START MY CAR, IT WILL INITIALLY TURN OVER BUT WILL THEN SHUT DOWN. THE IN DASH COMPUTER STATES A STEERING WHEEL LOCK FAILURE. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH A MODULE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THAT THE REPAIR BILL WOULD BE $2000.00. THEY ALSO CONFIRMED THAT ANOTHER ONE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, EXCEPT THAT THE STEERING LOCKED UP ON THEM WHILE DRIVING. THE GENTLE I SPOKE WITH EXPLAINED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP CAN ALSO OCCUR WITH MINE. HE THEN STATED THAT VW AMERICA WAS GOING TO PAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 800.00 OF THE REPAIR BILL AND I WILL HAVE TO COVER THE REST. *TR

I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF A 2006 VW PASSAT, WHO HAS HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE LATEST BEING OF MOST CONCERN. WHEN I ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR, IT WILL EITHER NOT TURN OVER AT ALL, OR THE ENGINE TURN OVER, THEN DIE. THIS HAPPENS NEARLY EVERYTIME I AM IN THE CAR. MY VEHICLE IS 4,000 MILES OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY, SO NEITHERVOLKSWAGON, NOR MY LOCAL VW DEALER WILL ASSIST ME WITH THE COST (BEING AN '!@#$% AMOUNT OF $1643.00 OUT OF POCKET), NOR HAS A RECALL BEEN ISSUED. I HAVE CALLED AND EMAILED NUMEROUS INDIVIDUALS AT VW CORPORATE LEVEL, WITH NO RESULTS. IN DOING RESEARCH, I HAVE FOUND MANY FORUMS, WITH MULTIPLE POSTS OF CUSTOMERS HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE WITH THIS CAR, SPECIFICALLY THE 2006 MODEL. I HAVE ALSO WENT THROUGH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU TO ATTEMPT TO GET ANSWERS ON WHY VW IS NOT DOING MORE FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH A PART THAT IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE. BELOW IS THE REPLY EMAIL I GOT FROM THEM, INSTRUCTING ME TO CONTACT YOUR COMPANY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND TIME ON THIS MATTER. COPY OF EMAIL FROM BBB-- {I AM IN RECEIPT OF YOUR EMAIL SENT TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, INC. UPON REVIEW OF YOUR EMAIL, IT DOESN'T APPEAR AS THOUGH YOU HAVE FILED A CLAIM WITH THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. I SUGGEST YOU BEGIN THERE. THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) IS AN OFFICE WITHIN THE NHTSA. ODI CONDUCTS DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS AND ADMINISTERS SAFETY RECALLS TO SUPPORT THE NHTSA'S MISSION TO IMPROVE SAFETY ON OUR NATION'S HIGHWAYS. NHTSA IS AUTHORIZED TO ORDER MANUFACTURERS TO RECALL AND REPAIR VEHICLES OR ITEMS OF MOTOR VEHICLE EQUIPMENT WHEN ODI INVESTIGATIONS INDICATE THAT THEY CONTAIN SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECTS IN THEIR DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OR PERFORMANCE. ODI ALSO MONITORS THE ADEQUACY OF MANUFACTURERS' RECALL CAMPAIGNS. BEFORE INITIATING AN INVESTIGATION, ODI CAREFULLY REVIEWS THE BODY OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND OTHER AVAILABLE DATA TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DEFECT TREND MAY EXIST. WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV}. *TR